The ST12 structure, which contains 5‐atom rings, has been shown to be a fairly satisfactory model for amorphous Ge and Si. This model gives a radial distribution function, electronic density of states, and optical properties in reasonable agreement with experiment. Recently, we have shown that a simple modification of the wurtzite structure, with no 5‐atom rings, also has many similarities to amorphous Ge and Si. Calculation of the photoemission spectrum is a far more detailed test of such models. Electron energy distribution curves (EDC's) have been calculated using the empirical pseudopotential method and an extension of the Gilat‐Raubenheimer method. Comparison with experiment shows the wurtzite and modified wurtzite structures to be unsatisfactory. The ST12 EDC's are in much closer agreement with experiment.